The Manchester Pride Festival

Each year Pride Parades celebrating the LGBT community sweep the UK, and now it is marching its way back to Manchester. It takes over August Bank Holiday weekend starting Friday 25th August till Monday and transforms the streets of Manchester into a huge technicoloured party.

Pride is absolutely huge across UK with nearly every city throwing something to celebrate, but Manchester is one of the longest running in the Country. The charity attracts thousands of people to the city, with 4,000 people attending last year, to campaign for equality amongst all genders, identities and sexual preferences and challenges discrimination. It creates opportunity for engagement and participation and celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) life as well as fundraising for LGBT and HIV projects all across Greater Manchester. Every year Pride always comes with a new theme and this year will officially be Class of 2017: The Graduation Pride. If you want to join in the actual parade, you’re invited to fill out an application, but keep in mind their are endless amounts of applicants every year from the LGBT community, LGBT and HIV charities and organisations, the public sector, educational establishments, small businesses and commercial organisations.

The route as of yet is unknown, but following last year’s map it spreads across Manchester starting on Liverpool Road, before turning onto Deansgate, Peter Street and down towards Portland Street through the Village and over to the finish line down Whitworth Street to Fairfield Street. Coming bigger and better than any year before if their dance line-up with Faithless’ Sister Bliss headlining. Also headlining the Gaydio Dance Arena at the LGBT festival is electronic duo and producers James Ford and Jas Shaw aka Simian Mobile Disco and DJ Danny Howard from BBC Radio 1’s Dance Anthems. Other absolutely huge names playing at Pride include Clean Bandit, Melanie C, Pixie Lott, Ben Pearce and Louisa Johnson.

There are a variety of tickets available depending on what you want to participate in. Day tickets are £19.50 each, (monday being £12.50), kids are £8 but for the whole four day weekend ticket, they are extremely good value at £29.50. These along with other fast track tickets and premium packages are available from Ticketmaster.